Romania should refrain from making substantial changes to the legal framework shortly before elections or from resorting to emergency ordinances to tackle politically sensitive issues, https://www.coe.int/ informs. While the 2024 local elections in Romania were generally well-organised, they remained significantly impacted by the introduction of the emergency ordinance to hold local and European Parliament elections on the same day, which was issued a few months before the election day. The situation underlined the need for a unified electoral code developed through broad and inclusive consultations. These were the main findings presented by co-rapporteurs Randi Mondorf (Denmark, ILDG) and Jorge Sequeira (Portugal, SOC/G/PD) in a report adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at its 48th session on 26 March 2025. The report was based on a fact-finding visit held on 24 October 2024 in Bucharest, initiated by the Congress Monitoring Committee in response to a complaint alleging irregularities in the June 2024 local elections. The report stressed the importance of electoral stability and noted that the decision to resort to the emergency ordinance could have been avoided, a view shared by the Venice Commission in its opinion published on 14 March 2024. In its recommendation, the Congress encouraged the Romanian authorities to simplify and review procedures and deadlines applicable to counting and tabulation processes, strengthen the election administration’s capacity to work more transparently, and consider introducing mandatory and ex-officio recounts in the event of significant deviations in protocols. The co-rapporteurs concluded that “strengthening the democratic process at subnational level in Romania will require more effort to enhance inclusivity and build public trust. Promoting the participation of women and young people as candidates, through quotas and by lowering the minimum age to stand in elections to 18, as well as broadening the rights of election observers could constitute key steps to reinforce local democracy”.
The National Bank of Romania (BNR) ended 2024 with a profit of roughly RON 3.8 billion (EUR 760 million), a 58% increase compared to the previous year, despite the operations it performed to maintain the national currency's stability. The figures, published in a report on Monday, June 23, show that operating costs for 2024 were […]
Over half of Romanians trust the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the Informat.ro - INSCOP Research Barometer conducted between May 26–30, 2025. Only 11% trust Russia, with higher levels of trust from among far-right voters of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party. The United States is trusted by 52.8% […]
Prahova County launched construction on a major cycling infrastructure project aimed at connecting local vineyard towns and promoting green mobility and sustainable tourism. The initiative, titled “Establishment of Bicycle Lanes on Bachus’s Route,” represents an investment of over RON 25 million, with RON 21 million coming from non-reimbursable funds provided by the Environmental Fund Administration. […]
Forvis Mazars, the international audit, tax and advisory services partnership, is pleased to announce the launch of its International German-Romanian Desk, an initiative aimed at addressing the demand for integrated cross-border tax and legal support between Germany and Romania. The Desk combines a highly qualified German team of lawyers with an interdisciplinary Romanian team of […]
Last week, the BBC reported that Romanian authorities have launched an investigation into Tristan Tate, brother of controversial internet personality Andrew Tate, over allegations he broke election laws by posting political content on social media during the recent presidential elections. The investigation, opened by the Ilfov county police according to the British newspaper's sources, is […]
Bucharest is facing growing environmental challenges, with traffic-related air pollution, shrinking green spaces, and worsening climate impacts threatening the health and well-being of its residents, according to the latest “State of the Environment in Bucharest” report released by the Bucharest Community Foundation through the Environmental Platform for Bucharest. For example, air pollution has already reached […]
